Families that Ski Together….!

 Boulder Yurts, Daily Powder Tours, Huts and Yurts, Uncategorized  Comments Off on Families that Ski Together….!
Dec 302017
 
Apr 212016
 
Arriving into the basin with all you need on your back

Arriving into the basin with all you need on your back

When the days are long, the nights are cold and the peaks are covered under a thick blanket of snow it’s time to traverse the big mountains. Every year we choose a destination from the plethora of beautiful mountains that surround our valley. The Sawtooth, White Cloud, Smokey, Pioneer and Boulder Mountains all hold phenomenal potential for wilderness ski traverses and ski camps. This year we decided to take advantage of perfect melt/freeze conditions and good high elevation coverage to explore the southern Boulder Mountains around the ghost town of Boulder City. While a bit sunburnt, we were not disappointed.

This steep south facing ridge-line held many beautiful lines like this one named "Jose Cuervo"

This steep south facing ridge-line held many beautiful lines like this one named “Jose Cuervo”

A room with a view

A room with a view

The Egret arcing the coombacks

The Egret arcing the coombacks

fun turns back to camp

fun turns back to camp

What a place to call home for a few days!

What a place to call home for a few days!

nothing like a fire to warm the soul while winter camping

Nothing like a fire to warm the soul while winter camping

Comfy after the sun set around the fire

Comfy after the sun set around the fire

Artsy Alex shot

Artsy Alex shot

Lunch break at 11'000' while waiting for the corn to soften

Lunch break at 11’000′ while waiting for the corn to soften

many aesthetic ridgelines surround the Boulder Basin with tons of ski lines

many aesthetic ridgelines surround the Boulder Basin with tons of ski lines

Alex in his Idahome

Alex in his Idahome

Alex carving

Alex carving

The Egret laying into the corn

The Egret laying into the corn

Niels dropping

Niels dropping

A happy crew

A happy crew

Whoop!

Whoop!

Spring fun

Spring fun

Climbing couloirs

Climbing couloirs

Even found some powder on high elevation north shots, like this one dropping into the newly created Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness

Even found some powder on high elevation north shots, like this one dropping into the newly created Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness

The exit is getting a little thin in the low country

The exit is getting a little thin in the low country

The Sirens of Snow in the Pioneers

 Daily Powder Tours, Huts and Yurts, Pioneer Yurts  Comments Off on The Sirens of Snow in the Pioneers
Feb 282016
 
Climbing into the alpine above the Pioneer yurt is always inspiring

Climbing into the alpine above the Pioneer yurt is always inspiring

SVT guide, Joe St.Onge and apprentice Chris Cullaz, led a group of local ladies into the Pioneer Yurt this week. Perfect powder conditions, big peaks and the sublime beauty of the Pioneers worked its magic. What a place we call home!

Approaching the Pioneer Yurt on day 1 with beautiful weather

Approaching the Pioneer Yurt on day 1 with beautiful weather

Climbing the Peanut above the yurt with amazing backdrop

Climbing the Peanut above the yurt with amazing backdrop

We call this zone "Little Alaska"

We call this zone “Little Alaska”

Perfect powder above the yurt

Perfect powder above the yurt

Skiers and snowboarders playing happily together

Skiers and snowboarders playing happily together

#puremountainstoke

#puremountainstoke

The final turns back to the yurt with the setting sun

The final turns back to the yurt with the setting sun

good to the last drop

good to the last drop

schussing into cocktails, appetizers and a nice sauna after plentiful powder

schussing into cocktails, appetizers and a nice sauna after plentiful powder

a little light reading after a sauna

a little light reading after a sauna

sometimes things can get a bit...... at the yurt

sometimes things can get a bit…… at the yurt

Hyndman Peak, the tallest of the Pioneers commands the view above the yurt

Hyndman Peak, the tallest of the Pioneers commands the view above the yurt

The gals looking back toward Sun Valley and noticing how small Baldy looks

The gals looking back toward Sun Valley and noticing how small Baldy looks

The final steps toward the col du Hyndman

The final steps toward the col du Hyndman

Carving turns beneath the big peaks

Carving turns beneath the big peaks

Powder, friends and a beautiful setting

Powder, friends and a beautiful setting

It's getting hot...

It’s getting hot…

The final turns end a prefect 2 days in the Pioneers

The final turns end a prefect 2 days in the Pioneers

Birthday: Peaks, Powder and Big Fun!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Birthday: Peaks, Powder and Big Fun!
Jan 302016
 
the birthday girl!

the birthday girl!

We had a stellar day this week celebrating a birthday with the Sirens of Snow! For over 10 years now, we have been celebrating the passage of time, the company of good friends and powder skiing with this group of local ladies. What a gift we had had this week with perfect snow conditions, a stunning peak climb and a summit party!

cattails and powder

cattails and powder

heading toward Little Big Mountain

heading toward Little Big Mountain

Climbing Little Big Mountain

Climbing Little Big Mountain

ah, the beauty of the southern mountains!

ah, the beauty of the southern mountains!

the birthday girl

the birthday girl

pocket wind slab triggered from the ridge

pocket wind slab triggered from the ridge

Summit celebration: wine, sushi and cake

Summit celebration: wine, sushi and cake

powder skiing!

powder skiing!

spooning powder

spooning powder

faceted powder makes for perfect ski conditions

faceted powder makes for perfect ski conditions

the last climb

the last climb

the exit ski of Japaho Peak

the exit ski of Japaho Peak

and heading back home

and heading back home

The Sun Valley Backcountry is amazing right now!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on The Sun Valley Backcountry is amazing right now!
Jan 092016
 

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What a special time to be a backcountry skier in Sun Valley.  The Christmas rush has passed, the snow pack has settled and stabilized and the sun has come out after weeks of consistent snow.  Our guides out out exploring, taking our locals groups to some amazing terrain and enjoying some epic days.  Here are some shots from our tour yesterday with the “Jewels”, a fantastic group of local rippers.  Enjoy!

 

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Jan 022016
 
oh yeah!

oh yeah!

The tradition continues! From near and far, a group of hearty skiers gathered for the 5th annual Yurtika. The destination for this year was the Coyote Yurts, and like the past couple years, deep powder was on the menu. Fun times and awesome skiing – doesn’t get much better!

Cold smoke dropping in front of Coyote Yurts

Cold smoke dropping in front of Coyote Yurts

more from the front door of Coyote Yurts

more from the front door of Coyote Yurts

Hil, carving down the south bowls heading home

Hil, carving down the south bowls heading home

ahh, big arcs in the powder

ahh, big arcs in the powder

The man and the legend, Mike

The man and the legend, Mike

Ben, liking the new Coombacks

Ben, liking the new Coombacks

Geoff, arcing the old Sidestash

Geoff, arcing the old Sidestash

Crispy, splitting the aspens

Crispy, splitting the aspens

Cold morning start from the yurts

Cold morning start from the yurts

Skiing off the Burn Unit

Skiing off the Burn Unit

tree ski

tree ski

Good morning from the Coyote Yurts!

Good morning from the Coyote Yurts!

Climbing back to the yurts after a morning lap

Climbing back to the yurts after a morning lap

Climbing back to summit of Little Round Top

Climbing back to summit of Little Round Top

The view from the yurts

The view from the yurts

pre-dawn view of the Coyote Yurts, coffee is ready and powder is waiting.

pre-dawn view of the Coyote Yurts, coffee is ready and powder is waiting.

Setting moon and sunrise

Setting moon and sunrise

The team, preparing to drop one last line down to the yurts before sunset

The team, preparing to drop one last line down to the yurts before sunset

Arriving at the yurts right before dark after 5000' of pure powder

Arriving at the yurts right before dark after 5000′ of pure powder

A warm yurt, good friends, yummy food and plenty of powder skiing make for a perfect evening in the backcountry

A warm yurt, good friends, yummy food and plenty of powder skiing make for a perfect evening in the backcountry

Hil, setting moon and silky powder skiing out the door from the yurts

Hil, setting moon and silky powder skiing out the door from the yurts

Nov 082015
 
ULLR!!!

ULLR!!!

At the start of every winter season, we celebrate the coming of winter with a BIG fire. Unlike people who love spending their time inside their rooms in the warmth of their furnaces operating constantly with an abundant amount of propane (which can be sourced from kellypropane.com), we prefer to honor the change of the season and the coming days of arcing down mountains on skis by a bonfire. We honor the Norse God Ullr, known as a great skier who would leave trails of stars behind his skis and drink to his health with hopes he will smile upon us. This year we had the annual Ullr fire up at the Boulder Yurts, where we had a giant pile of slash from recent woodcuts. Friends, family and guides came to celebrate the new snow and the joy of the coming ski season. Considering this fire was going to one of the biggest we’ve had so far, and we knew small children and families would be attending, we made sure to get as much information on fire safety and the different extinguishers we’d be able to use to douse the flames. Fire safety is still imperative in the snow!

And an early season it has become. On November 1st, we were riding bikes in the spitting snow and by the 4th, we were floating down fields of powder on skis. The recent storm dropped snow to the valley bottoms but favored the upper elevations in the Smoky and Boulder Mountains with over 20″. This storm snow has settled significantly this week, hopefully creating a good base for our next storm predicted to drop 5-10″ in the next 48hrs.

Hopefully this portends the start of an epic ski season where we can all celebrate with Ullr!

Friends, families, sleds, fire and FUN

Friends, families, sleds, fire and FUN

November 1st and the start of the storm, perhaps the last mountain ride of the year...

November 1st and the start of the storm, perhaps the last mountain ride of the year…

Not bad for November 4th

3 days later on November 4th

Ahh, back on skis

Ahh, back on skis. Francie breaks trail with a smile.

Fun in the snow with sleds and snow-skates

Fun in the snow with sleds and snow-skates at the Boulder Yurts

The Ullr Fire burning bright

The Ullr Fire burning bright

Francie, dropping in to a powder field

Francie, dropping in to a powder field, November 4th, 2015

Joe, enjoying some early season powder

Joe, enjoying some early season powder

We LOVE snow!

We LOVE snow!

Joe, stoked to be back on skis

Joe, stoked to be back on skis

The Men of the North Return

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on The Men of the North Return
Mar 042015
 
Judy, carving powder 3 weeks after the last storm

Judy, carving powder 3 weeks after the last storm

The Men of the North (and one woman) swept down from Montana for another raid into Idaho. The Smokey Mountains and her hidden treasures of faceted powder and corn were looted by this ruthless crew of barbarians. Led by SVT guides: Joe St.Onge, Chris Marshall and Niels Meyer many fun tours and lines (both new and familiar) were explored and skied. Not to worry, there are still some hidden treasures left out there!

The barbarians taking advantage of the corduroy on the approach

Corduroy on the approach

Too many peaks, too little time

Too many peaks, too little time, I think he may be back…

Good stability ice snack

Good stability ice snack

Judy, dropping into the burn

Judy, dropping into the burn

5,000 vertical and still going strong in the burn

5,000 vertical and still going strong in the burn

DoctorsPhysicainsSurgeons

DoctorsPhysicainsSurgeons

Mike carving

Mike carving

up in the sun to the Land of the Lost

up in the sun to the Land of the Lost

Loving the views

Loving the views

Buckley: the man, the myth...

Buckley: the man, the myth…

ahhh

ahhh

Mike laying it out

Mike laying it out

John DPS style

John DPS style

Mike, surveying the country

Mike, surveying the country

Mackay's first backcountry experience (we think he's hooked)

Mackay’s first backcountry experience (we think he’s hooked)

Stan, stoked

Stan, stoked

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Mackay: Easy floater

Mackay: Easy floater

Wolverine stash

Wolverine stash

Climbing into the sun for some more powder

Climbing into the sun for some more powder

The Pioneers beckoning

The Pioneers beckoning

SVT guide, Chris Marshall, leading the way into the next powder stash

SVT guide, Chris Marshall, leading the way into the next powder stash

oh yeah!

oh yeah!

Rus enjoying the pow

Rus enjoying the pow

king-pow

king-pow

Lunch at the ridge-top cafe

Lunch at the ridge-top cafe

mmm

mmm

Stan, sampling some corn

Stan, sampling some corn

SVT Guide, Chris, cranking in the corn

SVT Guide, Chris, cranking in the corn

Pow blast

Pow blast

Young Niels, taking the tail guide shot

Young Niels, taking the tail guide shot

The team on day 4

The team on day 4

SVT Guide, Joe St.Onge, letting it rip.

SVT Guide, Joe St.Onge, letting it rip.

Another Amazing week in the Sun Valley Backcountry!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Another Amazing week in the Sun Valley Backcountry!
Feb 152015
 
Floating on wings of angels

Floating on wings of angels

What a week it has been in the backcountry north of Sun Valley! Last weekend’s maritime-like storms created a beautiful fresh coat of snow across our mountains and a few days of cold/clear nights brought on the surface faceting to create silky and fast north powder. Enjoy the shots from SVT guide, Joe St.Onge, and his various days out this week enjoying our amazing backyard.

The Sirens of Snow

The Sirens of Snow

north Pow

north Pow

Teri Stylie

Teri Stylie

Ellen style

Ellen style

Skiing as art

Skiing as art

The Band

The Band

Skinning above the Salmon Headwaters

Skinning above the Salmon Headwaters

beauty

beauty

Mats, from Grand Slam to Powder Slam

Mats, from Grand Slam to Powder Slam

Easy slider

Easy slider

Group Therapy

Group Therapy

yehaw

yehaw

Valentine skin

Valentine skin

Fields of untracked powder

Fields of untracked powder

yes

yes

John, cranking through the pow

John, cranking through the pow

Powder tours continue!

 Daily Powder Tours  Comments Off on Powder tours continue!
Jan 232015
 
Fun

Fun

And the beautiful January ski days continue in the backcountry of Sun Valley! We are finding excellent conditions out there. Enjoy these pics from SVT Guide, Joe St.Onge, over the past couple of days.

Ridge skiing in the Salmon River headwaters

Ridge skiing in the Salmon River headwaters

Climbing above the Salmon River

Climbing above the Salmon River

Sun and Shadow

Sun and Shadow

Powder #1

Powder #1

Powder#2

Powder#2

BC Skiing is a team sport

BC Skiing is a team sport

The first direct sun of the winter hitting this slope

The first direct sun of the winter hitting this slope

Pow!

Pow!

mmmm

mmmm

Ancient trees

Ancient trees

Stoked

Stoked